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Pipelines, energy and natural resources

  • Thread starter Thread starter QV
  • Start date Start date
Meanwhile, King Coal.... and good luck with that 'phasing out' thing...



Key facts​

  • Coal is used mostly for generating electricity, however, notable amounts are also used for manufacturing steel.
  • Canadian mines produced 47 million tonnes of coal in 2022, 59% of which was metallurgical coal.
  • Canada’s coal production decreased by 32% over the past decade, with thermal coal accounting for almost three quarters of the decline.
  • Most of the coal mined in Canada comes from British Columbia (59%), Alberta (28%) and Saskatchewan (13%).
  • The Government of Canada is phasing out coal-fired electricity by 2030.

 
Pro


Con


Odds

31 of 40 nations on the Northern route supported the oil pipeline and it sounds as if they still do.


And their group is part of a larger group of 130 nations with oil and gas interests.



59% of Canadians in favour vs 26% against
56% of British Columbians in favour vs 34% against.
 
Pro


Con


Odds

31 of 40 nations on the Northern route supported the oil pipeline and it sounds as if they still do.


And their group is part of a larger group of 130 nations with oil and gas interests.



59% of Canadians in favour vs 26% against
56% of British Columbians in favour vs 34% against.

Not many people know about the Northern Pipeline Agency and the - currently stalled - Alaska Highway Pipeline proposal Alaska gas pipeline - Wikipedia...

I wonder if Carney's planning an 'end run' around the BC recalcitrants leveraging this agreement ;)

Northern Pipeline Agency​


The Agency oversaw the construction of the Prebuild from Caroline, Alberta to San Francisco and Chicago in the West and East respectively in the early 1980s but unfavourable economic conditions led to the suspension of Stage II (construction from the Alaska border near Beaver Creek, YT to the Alberta border near Boundary Lake, B.C.) as well as a corresponding reduction in resources and a prolonged period of inactivity. The Agency currently has a relatively small office, including the head Commissioner, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada Serge P. Dupont, who reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Christian Paradis.

 
Not many people know about the Northern Pipeline Agency and the - currently stalled - Alaska Highway Pipeline proposal Alaska gas pipeline - Wikipedia...

I wonder if Carney's planning an 'end run' around the BC recalcitrants leveraging this agreement ;)

Northern Pipeline Agency​


The Agency oversaw the construction of the Prebuild from Caroline, Alberta to San Francisco and Chicago in the West and East respectively in the early 1980s but unfavourable economic conditions led to the suspension of Stage II (construction from the Alaska border near Beaver Creek, YT to the Alberta border near Boundary Lake, B.C.) as well as a corresponding reduction in resources and a prolonged period of inactivity. The Agency currently has a relatively small office, including the head Commissioner, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada Serge P. Dupont, who reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Christian Paradis.


I'm one of the many that did not know that. Thanks.

The opponents of the Ksi Lisim project include the Metlakatla who have lands across the Dixon in Alaska.
 
Not many people know about the Northern Pipeline Agency and the - currently stalled - Alaska Highway Pipeline proposal Alaska gas pipeline - Wikipedia...

I wonder if Carney's planning an 'end run' around the BC recalcitrants leveraging this agreement ;)

Northern Pipeline Agency​


The Agency oversaw the construction of the Prebuild from Caroline, Alberta to San Francisco and Chicago in the West and East respectively in the early 1980s but unfavourable economic conditions led to the suspension of Stage II (construction from the Alaska border near Beaver Creek, YT to the Alberta border near Boundary Lake, B.C.) as well as a corresponding reduction in resources and a prolonged period of inactivity. The Agency currently has a relatively small office, including the head Commissioner, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada Serge P. Dupont, who reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Christian Paradis.

We came across this as a possibility when Enbridge was first being brought up. Also there was a brief surge of interest around 2010ish for a piepline from Alaska.
 
It really does sound like we're going to be getting a pipeline, even if Carney has to drag Eby along kicking and screaming.

Archive
Good. Provinces should not get Vetos.

I feel like provinces should be consulted, but if there are 13 vetos plus every indigenous group nothing will ever get built.

BC should be consulted, but veto? No. Welcome to confederation.

TMX is allowing our oil to be sold much closer to international benchmark prices, which is doing us a world of good, as we are not reliant on being undercut by the americans and allowing us to diversify away from them as needed. Imagine if BC said no and that was it? We would be screwed.
 
It really does sound like we're going to be getting a pipeline, even if Carney has to drag Eby along kicking and screaming.

Archive

“Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is.”​

― Pablo Escobar
 

“Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is.”​

― Pablo Escobar


Wrong price.

Nutrien shipping Saskatchewan potash out of Longview on the Columbia. On the Washington side down below Portland. A nice little American port. Cheaper than Vancouver. Better facilities.

Just hard to do business in BC.


....

Eby might figure he would be better approving that privately financed Alberta line. The Feds are going to need the revenue to fund Eby's projects.
 
10 years would be light speed...

Les Leyne: Plan to streamline urgent projects will take a decade​

The province wants to clear away all the backlog of projects awaiting government permits, but it’s giving itself 10 years to meet that goal.


There is a touch of absurdity in the new “Look West” economic master plan for B.C. that the NDP government dropped this week.

It puts huge emphasis on speeding up and streamlining permitting, reducing barriers and delays and “removing duplication across regulatory frameworks.”

It sets a wonderful goal — clearing away all the backlog of projects awaiting government permits.

But what raises eyebrows is the fact that the government is giving itself 10 years to meet that goal.

“By 2035, 100 per cent of all permitting turnaround times will be met — meaning no backlogs — and B.C.’s regulatory system will be profiled as the best in the world, with predictable, timely authorizations that meet world-leading environmental standards.”

Embarking on a crash program to wipe out all the bureaucratic delays and then giving yourself a full decade to do it is more than a little incongruous.

Particularly since the government goes to some length to congratulate itself on all the work it’s already completed in cutting red tape.

The document says all 1,000 housing projects that were backlogged have been cleared, and turnaround times have been cut by 15 per cent.

Applications in one category have been accelerated by 53 per cent, it says, cutting the wait from 322 days to 152. Mining backlogs have been cut by half, while turnaround times for some applications have been cut by 13 per cent.

If you take it at its word, the government has been working furiously to speed up project approvals and make all the government systems much more efficient.

But it needs 10 more years to erase backlogs.

 
10 years would be light speed...

Les Leyne: Plan to streamline urgent projects will take a decade​

The province wants to clear away all the backlog of projects awaiting government permits, but it’s giving itself 10 years to meet that goal.


There is a touch of absurdity in the new “Look West” economic master plan for B.C. that the NDP government dropped this week.

It puts huge emphasis on speeding up and streamlining permitting, reducing barriers and delays and “removing duplication across regulatory frameworks.”

It sets a wonderful goal — clearing away all the backlog of projects awaiting government permits.

But what raises eyebrows is the fact that the government is giving itself 10 years to meet that goal.

“By 2035, 100 per cent of all permitting turnaround times will be met — meaning no backlogs — and B.C.’s regulatory system will be profiled as the best in the world, with predictable, timely authorizations that meet world-leading environmental standards.”

Embarking on a crash program to wipe out all the bureaucratic delays and then giving yourself a full decade to do it is more than a little incongruous.

Particularly since the government goes to some length to congratulate itself on all the work it’s already completed in cutting red tape.

The document says all 1,000 housing projects that were backlogged have been cleared, and turnaround times have been cut by 15 per cent.

Applications in one category have been accelerated by 53 per cent, it says, cutting the wait from 322 days to 152. Mining backlogs have been cut by half, while turnaround times for some applications have been cut by 13 per cent.

If you take it at its word, the government has been working furiously to speed up project approvals and make all the government systems much more efficient.

But it needs 10 more years to erase backlogs.



I went to search for how much of the BC economy is dependent on exporting stuff that is actually generated in SuperNatural Clean BC and not just transhipped through the port of Vancouver from the rest of Canada and the world at large. Things like BC Coal, BC Gas, BC Fish and BC Lumber.

All things considered their manufacturing and extraction base is pretty limited and the stuff they do sell is not the stuf of which their government seems inordinately proud.

But my efforts turned up this Wiki gem


....



Economic Well-being

Due to a stable, sustainable economy, British Columbia compares favourably when evaluating key livability statistics. A temperate climate, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse cities, social stability, high-quality health care and education, and an abundant natural environment result in a quality of life and economic well-being that attract people to B.C. from around the world

...


Sectors ...


Forestry

With an advantageous location with port access on Canada’s West Coast, British Columbia’s (B.C.) roots in forestry run deep. B.C. is one of the world’s largest exporters of wood products – from wood pellets to pulp to biofuels. The province has earned a global reputation for sustainable forest practices with more forests certified environmentally sustainable than any comparable jurisdiction in the world.

Almost 60% of British Columbia's land base is productive forest land, providing rich, diverse and abundant wood fibre. The B.C. forest industry is characterized by:

Vast timber supplies – British Columbia has 55 million hectares of productive forests that provide diverse and abundant wood fiber. These forests contain roughly 11 billion cubic metres of timber. However, in recent years, a pine beetle outbreak and large forest fires have resulted in low timber supply and caused numerous challenges for the industry.

Varied tree species – Tree species in B.C. forests are primarily coniferous or softwood, including Douglas fir, western hemlock, Pacific silver fir, western red cedar, lodgepole pine and interior spruce.

A land tenure system – Most of B.C. land is publicly owned. The provincial government issues land tenures, giving companies the right to harvest in exchange for fees and management responsibilities.

.....


And I will stop right there and reiterate.

A land tenure system – Most of B.C. land is publicly owned. The provincial government issues land tenures, giving companies the right to harvest in exchange for fees and management responsibilities.

Most of B.C. land is publicly owned - except for the 130% of it held under aboriginal title.
 
A temperate climate, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse cities, social stability, high-quality health care and education, and an abundant natural environment result in a quality of life and economic well-being that attract people to B.C. from around the world
BC occupies the same natural position relative to Canada as California does relative to the rest of the US.

California has been showing that you can have all sorts of advantages and still fuck things up, especially if the advantages make you lazy.
 
BC occupies the same natural position relative to Canada as California does relative to the rest of the US.

California has been showing that you can have all sorts of advantages and still fuck things up, especially if the advantages make you lazy.

Not to cast aspersions but the people that settled were the same people that were attracted to California, the Yukon, Alaska, Australia and South Africa for the same purpose - gold. They also converted the sovereign British Protectorate of Hawaii into an American pineapple plantation.

To say that they were focused might serve.
 
Not to cast aspersions but the people that settled were the same people that were attracted to California, the Yukon, Alaska, Australia and South Africa for the same purpose - gold. They also converted the sovereign British Protectorate of Hawaii into an American pineapple plantation.
Yes, but I have in mind changes since WW II, and, really, changes since the early '60s which is when the modern "discovery" of CA occurred (BC probably somewhat later - 1986 comes to mind).

Some nice places to live, easy climate, lots of geographic and biological diversity, "abundant natural resources", oceanside, etc, etc.
 
Most of B.C. land is publicly owned - except for the 130% of it held under aboriginal title.

There's nothing like that in place. First Nations have made alot of overlapping claims, but there is no title.

As I understand it First Nations 'title' takes up about 1% of BC's land mass currently, and centres around traditional village sites/ reserves, usually near water sources/oceans and related to traditional food sources. Unlike east of the Rockies, 99% of BC land base has very few Treaties associated with it.... yet.

The legislated treaty negotiation process is there to resolve title claims, and it is the responsibility of the Crown to progress these treaties, and churns' on concurrent with all the other hullablloo that pops up in the media from time to time.

It's easy to get caught up in the hype though, the Cowichan hoo hah for example, I'll grant you that.
 
I guess he thinks he's the only one who's allowed to hold secret talks ;)


B.C. Premier David Eby blasts ‘secret’ talks on proposed North Coast pipeline​

Eby says the proposed plan risks destabilizing First Nations' support for major projects​


B.C. Premier David Eby is sharply criticizing Sask. Premier Scott Moe over supposed “secret conversations” with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ottawa on an energy plan that could include a new oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast.

“I almost fell out of my seat when I heard Scott Moe say that he was part of these conversations,” Eby said in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics on Thursday.

“These discussions, which I was completely unaware of … about what happens in British Columbia.”

A senior government official told CBC's parliamentary bureau this week that the federal and Alberta governments were close to signing a memorandum of understanding on a new pipeline, which would allow some tanker traffic on the northern B.C. coast.

 
Meanwhile, back at the ranch the Metlakatla...


have lands in both Prince Rupert and Alaska,
are allied with Lax Kw'alaams,
have a share in the Ridley terminal shipping liquid propane in bulk to Asia from Alberta,
supported the Northern Gateway and Eagle Spirit pipelines,
opposed the tanker moratorium,
are a member of the Coastal Nations group that opposes lifting the moratorium,
have, in conjunction with Lax Kw'alaams, proposed their own export terminal,
been denied because the Prince Rupert Port Authority, a Crown Corporation, has given a monopoly to a Dutch company to ship Alberta propane,
been gazumped by the Ksi Lisims terminal upstream of their proposed terminal by a nation with whom there have been traditional disputes
and on lands in which all parties have a claim but only the upstream nations are recognized by both Federal and Provincial governments

And the Federal government is the regulator

Also the waterways are in dispute between the US and Canada,
and the Alaskan tribes/nations are asking for intervenor statuts in the dispute
and the mercurial American President is pushing a competing Alaska gas export vision,

And the Alberta position broadly has the backing of 31 of 40 nations along one of the northern routes,
and up to 130 nations that have interests in oil and gas development,
predominantly prairie and northern nations,
although some of the Coastal Nations opposing oil have stakes in both gas pipelines and gas ports,

And the pipelines are supported 3 to 1 across Canada and 2 to 1 in BC,
are opposed by the BC governing party,
and a large caucus of the Federal governing party,
both of whom are in minority situations and losing popularity daily,
while threatened by a rapidly changing international order and the mercurial American President who has mused about annexing Canada,

And recent court decisions have put land titles into question across BC,
and prompted other first nations across Canada to lodge large urban land claims
and other American tribes to ask for intervenor status

And a large Saskatchewan company shipping one of Canada's strategically important minerals on which the Federal government was planning to balance the books,
has decided to bypass both Prince Rupert and Vancouver and ship out of the US because,
cheaper,
better infrastructure,
easier permitting,
easier unions,
more clarity.


I think that about covers it.

And the Federal government needs to sell more stuff to payback all the money already spent and which it feels it must spend.


And we haven't even touched on hydro-powered Quebec opposing oil and gas, in dispute with Newfoundland, facing a local election and pursuing the possibility of a unilateral declaration of independence.


Time to go Gordian.
Or, in a Scots idiom, Carney is going to have to grasp the nettle.
 
Grasping nettle?


 
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Rationing begins...

Why B.C. is rewriting energy rules to decide who gets power and who doesn’t​

A crush of industrial demand forces the province to bypass regulators, build new transmission lines and reserve grid access for resource projects

Ten years ago, one of the arguments against Site C dam was that B.C. would be spending billions for more power generation than it could possibly use.

Industrial power demand had fallen, thanks to the shuttering of big energy users like pulp mills.

Now there is such a growing demand for industrial power in B.C. that Premier David Eby’s government is now having to ration it to select industries—namely mines and LNG—while shutting out or limiting other energy intensive industries like green hydrogen production, bitcoin mining and data centres.

And it is circumventing a lot of its own rules to get new power lines and generation to resource projects.

The B.C. government is trying to keep up to a surging demand for industrial power by fast-tracking the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) expansion, as well as new renewable power projects, to power up new mines and LNG projects representing billions of dollars of investment in B.C.

But at the end of the day, it will still fall so far short of industrial demand that the B.C. government plans to limit industrial power to select industries.

Under Bill 31—the Energy Statutes Amendment Act—mines and LNG projects will get priority to the grid, while other energy intensive industries will either be explicitly excluded or limited in accessing power.

While the plan to increase B.C.'s generation and transmission capacity will have enormous economic benefits, and is generally supported by business and participating First Nations, it raises concerns about who will pay for it all.

 
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